The present invention generally relates to portable personal alarm devices. More specifically, this invention relates to personal alarm devices having selectively programmable means of activating and deactivating the alarm means of the device.
The personal alarm devices of the prior art have utilized various alarm activation and deactivation means. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,285 to Polley a spring-controlled lever actuator is used to control a pin disposed within the device that renders the device irreversibly activated. Key switch alarm deactivation means have also been used in the prior art. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,549 to Berg and U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,532 to Maldonado, conventional push button switches for alarm activation are combined with key-operated deactivation switching means. U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,389 to Clendening discloses a distress signaling device that includes alarm deactivation means that is controlled by removal of a waist belt secured about the user by means of a combination lock. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,351 to Altman et al. a passive personal alarm device is disclosed that includes an alarm deactivation means comprising a switch assembly having a plurality of switch settings, some of the settings being open settings and the remainder being closed settings, the closed settings being indistinguishable from the open settings by external examination of the device. Thereby deactivation is possible only by positioning the switch settings in an open setting pattern known only to the user. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,454 to Hopkins et al. a personal alarm device is disclosed having push button alarm activation means and alarm deactivation means operable by depression of a combination of push buttons as determined by the internal wiring of the deactivation circuit.
While these various inventions in the prior art have provided improvements in personal alarm devices, none provide the flexibility in control of the activation and deactivation means of a personal alarm as hereinafter described for the present invention.